Through Trust Reborn
by An Honest Politician
Summary: What happens when Leo meets other mutants after a violent incident at the lair? Are these mutants friend or foe, and why do they look so human? TMNT/X-men Crossover. No pairings yet. Rated for swearing and mature themes. Leo-centric.
1. Chapter 1: Starting Point

**Okay, I have 2 other fics I'm supposed to be working on, but the turtle bug bit and, and between that and writing exams and working, updates have been a bit scarce.**

**I just couldn't resist this since Leo is my favourite turtle and I really wanted to read a crossover, but I couldn't find one that didn't have a number of things that I dislike so I just started writing my own. This isn't to knock anyone who already wrote a crossover. I simply wanted to read a story that's just how I like it.**

**Warnings: None that I can think of other than possible swearing for now and bits of violence.**

**Pairings: None (Some may develop later, but I'm not sure yet. Feel free to give your own thoughts on pairings. I'm open to just about any pairing, but I'm not fond of giving OC's major roles in my fics. Call it a personal quirk )**

**This is a crossover between TMNT and x-men. It's set in the 2k3 series of turtles with mentions of the 2k7 movie. For x-men it is going to be according to the movies, but in both verses it's going to be AU.**

**CHAPTER 1: Starting point  
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Flashes of concrete swept by, broken only when a figure took flight for moments while travelling between buildings. Normally this was the one feeling they would all be savouring at every opportunity afforded, but the feeling was overshadowed by the scene which had taken place a short time ago beneath the majestic city. Three shadowed figures moved with the speed lent by fright.

There had been harsh words and even harsher actions between the residents of the lair. Leonardo had been acting strangely. He wasn't practicing or meditating. He had simply stayed in his room, refusing to come out for even meals. His brothers and sensei hadn't known quite how to approach the situation, since he was normally the only one of them who could take care of himself and not cause his family anxiety.

This had continued for three days and each of them was handling it in their own way. Michelangelo was trying to be his usually goofy self, but anyone could tell it became more forced as his worry mounted. Donatello was keeping himself as busy as he could, but his attention couldn't seem to stay focussed on one project after the second day. Raphael had already made short work of his punching bag, half the kitchen appliances and had started in on those in the living room.

Splinter had been concerned, but without Leonardo to reign in his brothers, the arduous task fell to him once more. Keeping Michelangelo reassured was difficult at best, finding things to keep Donatello busy was back-breaking, but keeping Raphael calm was an impossibility. Many were the times that Splinter had tried to teach Raphael to keep his temper and think things through, but it seemed his words were destined to fall on deaf ears when it came to that.

Throughout all this, none of them had managed to draw so much as a response from their brother. All was silent within his room, but it was impossible to tell whether he was even in his room anymore. Leonardo was without a doubt the most skilful when it came to being invisible. Shadows seemed to cling to him, and more than once had it happened that he suddenly appeared from seemingly nowhere. It was a source of great pride to his father and annoyance to his brothers. He also had the necessary speed to complement his natural talent at hiding.

It was on the third night of this behaviour that everything went wrong. Splinter had barely managed to keep the fragile balance in his family. Nobody was smiling, or talking, or doing anything really. They were all sitting on the couch in front of an off television, watching and waiting for the moment when Raph's temper would finally get the best of him. They all knew it was coming, and nobody even tried to stop him when he finally got up and stormed to Leo's room with every intention of breaking the door down.

They all looked at each other before quickly following the smouldering turtle. Once they reached the right floor they watched in trepidation as he banged on Leo's door with a force that warned any idiot of his mood. There was silence before Raph stormed the door with a growl, intent on destruction. It took only two hits for the door to crumble, but they weren't expecting what they found.

Raphael was naturally the first to notice, but as the others rushed up to see what had caused their brother to suddenly halt, they stared in wonder. Nothing. That was all that registered. They all suddenly realised that this was the first time any of them had been in Leo's room. Even Splinter. Leo normally came out if any of them sought him while he was inside.

They took note of everything before realising that the turtle they sought wasn't there. There was also a notable lack of any personal effects in the room. There was the bed, a desk and chair, and a few candles strewn around for use, but absolutely nothing else. Splinter quickly strode to the bed and saw that the sheets were rumpled. Evidence of a hasty retreat. Feeling suspicious he extended his senses as far as he could, employing both his spiritual aura as well as using his keen senses. He felt nothing, then a small twinge at the edge of his senses. He relaxed and smiled lightly.

"Come out my son. I understand if you are not in the mood for conversation, however we are all concerned about you." The turtles had begun to doubt their master for a moment before they saw slight movement from one deep black shadowed corner of the room and Leo stepped into view. He stood watching them, but still said nothing. Raphael was naturally the next to open his mouth, once he realised his brother was still in the room. His ire had returned and he was fully intending to find out just what had been going on with his brother.

"Leo, what's wrong with you? Have you been holed up in here for three days?" Donny tried to intervene.

"Raph!" He was cut off before he could say any more.

"Don't Raph me! He's the one playing emo in here. He's being selfish. Here's you and Mikey and Splinter all worried about him and he doesn't even say nothing!" Splinter felt it was time to stop the stampede.

"Raphael! That is enough. You do not give your brother a chance to even explain his actions." This seemed to do the trick and all eyes turned to Leo, asking and waiting. There was a continued silence as he stepped forward. Not even his footsteps could be heard as he swept past them all and out into the main living area. This seemed to be the breaking point for all his brothers.

"Why you..."

"Leo where are you going?"

"Dude, was it something we said?" All their exclamations seemed to blend together. It was a cacophony of noise and in a sudden motion Leo came to a dead stop before turning to look at them. They were suddenly unnerved by the fact that they couldn't see his eyes beyond the mask. He stood and waited.

This was simply the last straw for hotheaded Raphael. After Leo's return from his solitary training Raphael's temper had been steadily getting worse, and it seemed he had finally reached the breaking point. He dove at Leo who quickly sidestepped and brought his fists up. Raph ignored the shouts from his father and other siblings telling him to calm down. He was angry and he was going to show it! As he repeatedly attacked he noticed that Leo wasn't even bothering to use his full speed to avoid him. This frustrated him even further. He was being taken lightly by his own brother. He conveniently forgot that Leo could kick all their butts when they worked together during sparring, weapons or not.

With all the misguided wrath of his personality, he grabbed his sai and attacked Leo with as much strength and speed as he could force from his adrenaline strung body possessed. He heard shocked gasps, and felt one of his weapons strike true. None of them however, were more shocked or horrified than Raphael when he realised what had happened. He had stabbed Leo in the left shoulder. He was well aware of the fact that it was not a life-threatening wound, but he had...stabbed...Leo...his brother...His weapon fell from suddenly nerveless fingers, the other still wedged in Leo's skin. He watched numbly as Leo...his brother...scrambled up from where Raph had pinned him and roughly pulled the weapon from his shoulder and throwing it up into the air with the momentum. The bloody squelching sound was obscenely loud to the horror struck onlookers.

The others ran closer to help, but Leo deftly leapt over Raph's head and, with the blinding speed they had come to expect from him, disappeared from the lair before the bloody sai had even reached the ground.

This was the set of circumstances that had lead to the current chase through the city. It had taken only a few minutes for Raph to shake himself from his stupor and all three brothers to take off after the injured turtle. There had been enough time for a few sharp words from Splinter, but they never came. He didn't know it at the time, but Splinter had seen the deep remorse and guilt imbedded in his eyes, and he was well aware that it was not the time to add more. His son understood, and his own conscience would be more than enough punishment for the moment.

Their desperation was fuelled by both the injury their brother had sustained as well as the knowledge that every minute wasted could result in an additional hour of searching since the longer they took, the more ground Leo could cover. They all maintained a stony silence after Mikey's question of what would happen if Leo was attacked in his injured state. It wasn't something any of them could bear to think about right now.

Don and Mikey were studiously avoiding looking at Raph. They had been deeply shocked by what had happened. They were all well aware of the fact that Raph would have to face punishment. It would be a harsh one, because he had broken one of the cardinal rules. He had struck one of his brothers with his weapon in earnest. True they sparred with weapons on occasion, but it had been drilled into them from the beginning that they were not to raise their weapons against each other in an argument.

Raph himself was deeply ashamed of himself. He had attacked his own brother as if he were the enemy, but that wasn't the worst of it. The moment his weapon pierced flesh, he had realised Leo hadn't been going easy on him. He was hurt even before Raph challenged him. The only reason that he had been able to flee so fast from the lair was probably from the battle rush of adrenaline when he got stabbed by his own damn brother. In that moment he had seen both the strain and fatigue that lined his brother's body. Right now he felt more like a slug than a turtle. A slimy traitorous slug. He just really hoped they could find Leo before something else went wrong.

**(OWARI)**

**AHP: And there you have it folks. The plot bunnies have literally been knawing through my brain with this idea. Next chapter we find out what Leo's been hiding from the others. Please do R&R if you have any ideas or if you have constructive criticism.**


	2. Chapter 2: A Different Perspective

**AHP: Okay, I'm back people. I warned that updates will be sporadic at best, but I hope that some of you find this worth reading.**

**Disclaimer: Oh if only I had a turtle of my own -.-' but I don't...T.T  
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**CHAPTER 2: A Different Perspective**

Leonardo had been having a bad week. He was currently staggering through a random alley, not being able to keep himself properly upright anymore. He had lost too much energy and blood. Staying conscious was becoming a task in itself, and he was quite honestly tired of trying.

It had started like any other week. He had gotten out of bed, had breakfast, started warming up in the dojo. It was the same as any other day. Then he started his morning meditations. That's when the trouble started. At first he didn't realise anything was different, but as he immersed himself in the spiritual plane he realised there were voices encroaching upon his solitude. The voices grew louder before fading once more. He couldn't quite make out what they were saying, but as he withdrew from his meditative trance he decided not to dwell on it.

He thought that would be the end of it, but he was mistaken. He first came to the conclusion that something was wrong when he went to wake his brothers. One by one as he entered their rooms and woke them he could feel those voices pressing at the back of his mind. Pressing, pushing, pulling. It was like they were trying to force him to acknowledge them. He shook the feeling off, and resigned himself to the idea that he would have to discuss this with Splinter once his brothers were out of earshot. That had been his idea at first.

As the morning progressed and they started with their ninja practice, the voices started becoming more persistent, and he became more curious. He focussed on the voices as he sat to the side as two of his brothers sparred. The more he focussed, the clearer the voices became. To his everlasting surprise, he recognised the voices. They were the voices of his family. He was fascinated as he listened, now able to hear what was being said with far less effort. Even while realising how impossible it sounded, it was as if he were hearing their thoughts as they travelled through their minds.

Cool though this might seem, Leonardo was fairly freaked out about this. So it was that when he left for his solitary training above ground, he had every intention of testing this new 'ability'. This is also where things went completely wrong. At first it was a fascinating experience to be greeted with a variety of different voices all seeming to reach out to him. It continued this way for a few days. On the fourth day, something changed.

He had been practicing his newfound ability, and had finally accepted it to some extent. The only problem that he hadn't anticipated, was that it was a Saturday night. This meant that the volume of people out that evening as he did his training was far greater.

Everything had been going well, but as he landed on the roof of a well-known nightclub he felt a headache burst forth with all the force of an explosion going off in his head. He staggered as the onslaught of thoughts battered his mind and he tried to sort through everything to figure out which thoughts were his own and which weren't. He landed on his knees after tripping over something unseen, but the faint pain was drowned out by the torture induced by his own mind.

After what seemed like forever he somehow managed to stagger away from the overly crowded building to a quiet alleyway. Shaking his head and leaning against the wall he swallowed harshly, fighting down the nausea building in his stomach. After gaining control over himself he slowly made his way to the nearest manhole cover, but as he was about to lift it he heard movement at the darkened side of the alley. He disappeared into the shadows with barely enough time to spare as two figures came walking in his direction. He pressed himself further into the shadows, waiting silently for them to pass. It appeared to be a woman and a man, but he couldn't make out their features as of yet. They were still too far away, but he could clearly hear what they were saying.

"Are you sure they're here?" The man sounded impatient.

"Of course I'm sure. This is where he said they are. Can't you smell anything Logan?" The man snorted.

"Seriously, you expect me to smell anything in this garbage dump?" As they came closer he was surprised by what he saw. The woman appeared to be of African descent with shocking white hair, while the man looked almost feral with his shaggy hair and stubble beard. He wondered what the woman was talking about. How could that man smell someone who they were looking for? He got his answer as the man suddenly stopped and sniffed the air gingerly.

"What is it Logan?" The woman was looking at her partner intently.

"I smell...turtle?" The statement turned into a question, however, his surprise didn't reassure Leo at this moment. How on earth had he done that. Realising that his position was more precarious than previously imagined, he decided now was a good time to head for the high ground. He shifted silently and remained in the shadows as he swung himself up a fire escape and quickly started ascending. He hastened his climb as he heard an exclamation from below.

"I got it! They're on the move Storm." The woman sounded a touch impatient as she answered.

"On the move where?"

"Up." Leo sped up even more, realising he had been discovered. Stealth was no good anymore. He would have to rely on speed now. As he flipped over the edge of the building to reach the roof he noticed two people already there. Swearing inwardly, he spun around, ready to vault to the next building, only to find the man from before standing before him. He was panting slightly, no doubt due to the steep climb. He cast his eyes around, looking for an escape route, but it seemed that the other humans on the roof had become aware of their presence as well.

"Well, well. What have we here." It was phrased as a statement. He noticed the man who spoke seemed rather old. He also had the most peculiar woman standing beside him. She had red hair, and blue skin. It was at this inconvenient moment that his new 'ability' decided to rear its ugly head. He felt thoughts rushing through his head. He recognised a few of the voices as being those who were now surrounding him, and there were a few unknowns mixed in there who he assumed were people inside the building they were standing on. He saw the feral man take a threatening step forward and address the older man.

"Magneto! What are you doing here?" He sounded furious.

"How rude. I just thought I would come to greet our newest addition. I believe Charles told you where to find him." He watched as the old man raised his hand and the feral man...what was his name...Logan! He watched as Logan moved his arms as if they were pulled taught. He noticed the white-haired lady had also made it onto the roof at some point and was glaring at the old man as well. Now that he took a proper look, the old guy was wearing some weird outfit with a cape and helmet. Deciding it wouldn't be prudent for him to stick around, especially with his little mind crisis going on, Leo turned and sprinted to the side of the building that wasn't blocked by a human. As he was about to reach the edge, he felt it. It came from his many years of fighting as a ninja, his spiritual senses as well as his 'ability'. He ducked as a blue leg darted past his head. He was fairly certain it would have been a knockout blow had it connected. Thankfully he was a far more skilled fighter than his opponent, who turned out to be the blue-skinned woman.

It didn't take long for him to temporarily incapacitate his opponent before he looked back briefly to the other humans who all seemed to be staring at him. He shrugged it off before leaping over the edge onto the next building. He started sprinting, making good time back to the other side of the city. Once he was certain he hadn't been pursued, he made his way down to street level. Spotting the closest manhole cover, he quickly lifted it and slipped into the sewers. He realised it would be a long way home from where he was, and he would have to surface at least once to get around a blockage. He sighed and banged the back of his head against the wall he was leaning on. Just great.

He remained alert, even though he was travelling below ground. Once he reached the blockage he steeled himself to go topside. He carefully peeked above ground before emerging fully. He stole along the shadows, trying to find the next manhole. This was proving difficult as he had surfaced at a construction site. After searching unsuccessfully for a few minutes he decided to venture out of the site to the nearest alleyway. Hopefully it would be easier for him to get below ground from there.

There was a slight hitch in his plan when, upon exiting the construction site, he saw all four of those humans approaching him. It seemed they had accepted a temporary truce for the moment. They seemed to be focussed on a common goal, and he had a sneaking suspicion it had to do with him. He watched as the men argued back and forth, the women remaining silent.

"Are you certain this is the direction he went?"

"Of course I'm sure! If you don't think this is the right way, why are you following us?"

"It is far easier to simply accompany you. That way I can keep my eye on you. Honestly. How could Charles expect _you_ to complete this very sensitive task?"

"Hey! The Professor wouldn't have sent me here without a good reason." The rest of the conversation bled away as he could feel the voices press closer to his mind. He thought absently that they seemed to intensify when he was under great stress or duress. It was annoying, especially since it was very difficult to plan an escape route while dealing with both pursuers and schizophrenia from hell. Pushing all distractions to this side at this point was a feat beyond his power. It also seemed as though his turtle luck was running true to form when moments later the man, Logan, sniffed the air. A triumphant smirk crossed his face as he announced his find.

"Found him. He's over there. Over by the construction site." Leo heard this, and decided to accept his fate gracefully along with the migraine until a certain phrase kicked him forcefully in his overly abused mind. That Logan man had been speaking of a _Professor_. Leo's only thought at that point was 'Oh hell no! Not another dissection table.' With a newfound resolve, he decided that stealth would be fairly useless against mister super-tracker so he once again opted for speed. Remembering what super-nose had said in the alley, he realised that they wouldn't be able to track him in the sewers. With this in mind, he bolted out of the shadows and made for the nearest location that he knew he would find a manhole.

He had barely breached the shadows before he heard the humans take off after him. He felt his headache recede as adrenaline pumped through his veins. He could hear them coming from behind him and he decided it was time to get a little...acrobatic. He flipped himself onto the nearest foothold he could find and, as fast as he could, scaled the building it was attached to. He ran in weaving patterns, travelling from rooftop to rooftop. Once he was certain he had gained enough distance, he made his way quickly back to street level. On his way down, he was hit by something unseen. This caused a rather untimely drop followed by a sudden stop.

Feeling his vision swimming slightly, he realised he had fallen quite some distance. He scrambled to get his feet underneath him. Looking around, he noticed that his pursuers hadn't yet managed to catch up to him. Using this small piece of good fortune, he ran to the closest manhole, lifted the cover, and practically dived down the hole. He took a precious few seconds to close it behind him, before he made all speed to return to the lair. He was wheezing slightly and realised he had probably bruised something important.

After he finally made it home he staggered inside, thankful that nobody had waited up for him. He didn't want them to know he had been hurt, and his mind was again screaming with a headache. He only stopped long enough to grab some aspirin before dragging himself to his room. He decided he needed some time to himself. He needed to think things through for a while, and he didn't want his family worrying over his injuries.

It was the third day of his self imposed isolation before he acknowledged he may be more injured than he first suspected. He also hadn't been able focus his thoughts. He wasn't sleeping well, and his mind was jumping around as if it had been supercharged. Even though he knew he needed medical attention, he just couldn't bring himself to face his family. He cringed at the thought of what would bombard his mind if he were brought into contact with other sentient beings once more.

He thought he would give it another day, and if he didn't improve he would see Splinter. Unfortunately, fate wasn't so kind. It was at this point that Raphael had reached the end of his patience. Leo had felt them approaching his room long before they reached it. Realising he couldn't deal with this just yet, he quickly jumped up from his bed, wincing as he felt the pain in his chest constrict. He moved into the darkest corner of his room and silenced himself. He was aware of the moment the door opened. It was as if a barrier in his mind had broken down and a loud wailing noise keened through his mind.

He was scarcely managing to keep conscious at this point. He was aware enough to note his brothers' surprise at seeing his room for the first time. He felt disappointed as Splinter discovered his presence. He watched as Raph ranted at him, but the noise in his head was getting louder and more persistent. He felt the pressure build and suddenly he couldn't stand it anymore. Walking past his family, he tried his utmost to appear as he normally would. The pain in his chest was constricting him and the pressure in his head was crushing him, but he walked with his head held high. When Raph attacked him, it was as if someone had dumped a bucket of ice over his head. The jolt forced back all his feelings of discomfort and brought forth the soothing feeling of adrenaline rushing through his veins.

He managed to fend off Raph, but it was far more of a challenge than it should have been. He felt the weight in his chest solidify for a moment, but that moment was enough. He felt cool metal pierce his flesh. He scarcely registered what was happening at the time, but he faintly heard as Raph dropped his other weapon. He plucked his brothers weapon from his shoulder, and as it sailed through the air with a spray of blood its only accompaniment, he fled. He couldn't stand the feeling of claustrophobia he was getting. He only knew he had to get away before he went crazy. The fact that his own brother had stabbed him he would have to deal with later. Right now he needed to get away. The further the better.

That was what brought him to where he was now. Staggering through some random alleyway and possibly bleeding to death. As Raph would say...peachy.

**Owari!**

**AHP:** **So, what are your thoughts? Please do share them.**


	3. Chapter 3: Conversations

**AHP: Aaaaaaaaaaaaand I'm back! All I can say is that work sucks and overtime is a bitch. Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own TMNT or X-men.**

**CHAPTER 3: Conversations  
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Storm was dangerously close to losing her temper. After their first encounter with the new mutant they had been searching for three days with no luck. When the Professor had given her and Logan the instruction to go and find this new mutant they were unsure of what to expect. A giant turtle was something she hadn't seen coming. She assumed that was his mutation, but it also seemed to afford him better physical prowess than she had ever seen.

To make matters even worse, Magneto seemed just as interested in the new mutant. This was all amounting to one big headache since they ran into both the new mutant and Magneto at the same time. Since the first meeting they hadn't seen Magneto either, but that didn't particularly reassure her. It simply meant that he was somewhere that they couldn't keep tabs on him.

Logan had fortunately noticed her mood, and was attempting to stay as quiet as he could when around her. It was with a frown that he broke into her thoughts now.

"Storm, I think I found something." She came to a halt and watched him carefully. After they had reported their unsuccessful mission the Professor said he would send more help. They were due to arrive any minute since they had been delayed. Finding a place to park the jet in this city was no joke. She watched as Logan scrunched his face up in a grimace.

"I don't think this is gonna be good. I smell blood." He shot forward and she ran to keep pace with him. What they found was rather unpleasant. It was most certainly the mutant they had seen before, but as they approached she could make out an open wound on his shoulder bleeding profusely and they seemed to be having trouble breathing. His eyes appeared to be unfocussed and she could see the muscles tensing as if preparing to run. As she was tentatively approaching she heard Logan stiffen behind her.

"Storm, we have company." They were both surprised by a groan followed by softly spoken words.

"Great. As if today didn't suck enough already." They glanced at the mutant and after confirming that he was still not all there, they turned their attention to the new arrivals. Magneto stepped forward with a smirk plastered on his face, not bothering to put on his helmet. It was tucked securely beneath his arm.

"At least this time our new friend won't be running away from us." Logan glared at the man, knowing he couldn't get close even if he wanted to.

"Now is really not the time Magneto. He's really hurt and I'm afraid we can't let you take him." The smirk widened.

"Let me? What makes you think you have a choice?" Logan felt his arm come up and his claws shot forward stopping just short of Storm's throat. They were all equally shocked when a voice sounded from the strange mutant.

"I don't think I like you old man." They turned to see the mutant struggling to his feet. Storm made to go to him, but the claws at her throat drew closer in warning. Magneto stepped forward.

"Now how can you say something like that without getting to know me first?" The stranger levelled him with a shaky, yet intimidating glare.

"Last I checked violence shouldn't be the first answer to anything. You also seem pleased that I'm hurt. Last time I checked that shouldn't endear you to me." Magneto frowned slightly. He hadn't expected well grounded arguments, but he believed the situation could be salvaged.

"I didn't mean for it to sound that way. I was merely glad that we would have a chance to speak before you run off again. As for these two, let us just say that we've met before." Logan snorted at that, but refrained from speaking. Magneto pressed on.

"Would you rather go with these two whom you also know nothing of?" The mutant took a deep shuddering breath that made them all wince slightly from the sound.

"Not particularly. You make it sound like an either or situation. I'm not going with any of you. I have my home and my family, why should I leave them because of a bunch of strangers who all seem just as strange as me?" They all started in surprise. They had forgotten that he would also have a say in this, regardless of which side 'won' the argument they were having. Storm watched as Magneto frowned, obviously trying to find the right words for this situation. She decided it would be worth getting her point across before he started.

"We are from a school." She felt the blades on her throat, but bravely continued on, seeing she had the mutant's attention.

"My name is Ororo and this is Logan. We are both working at a school for people like you...like us." Seeing his interest she continued quickly.

"This school was established by Professor Charles Xavier. It's full of other people and children who have abilities. There you can be safe, and learn how to control your abilities. You could be a normal person there, just like everyone else." She stopped as the blades drew close enough to draw blood. She had seen him hesitate when she mentioned the Professor.

"As charming as this sounds, it is only good in theory. Why should we have to bow down and hide from the normal humans? We are superior. We have abilities they can only ever dream of having, yet they feel justified in hunting us down." Magneto had seen the stranger's reaction and correctly assumed that they had been hunted before. He incorrectly assumed that his words would be the right ones. The mutant eyed Magneto as he carefully thought of an answer.

"So you feel we shouldn't simply be living alongside normal people?" Magneto smiled, believing he had won.

"Of course not. Why should we aim for mutant equality when we could have mutant supremacy?" Storm could feel her heart sink as she noted the considering look on his face. This was why Magneto was such a problem. He appealed to people's desire to be more than ordinary. She kept her eyes firmly up and they all waited to hear what would be said next.

"After further consideration and a conversation with you I have decided that I really, really don't like you." Storm felt her heart leap with joy as he was staring straight at Magneto. There was no doubt who he was speaking to. Her joy was short lived when she saw the look on Magneto's face. He had apparently realised just where he went wrong and was cursing himself. It wasn't often that he shot wide of the mark, but evidently that was the case. Before the actual hopelessness of the situation could strike she heard a shout from behind them.

"There they are! Hang on Storm, Wolverine." Recognising Jean and then Scott she felt her spirits rise. They had the best timing ever. Magneto had obviously also seen them and decided this was more than he was willing to deal with at the moment. With a subtle gesture to Mystique they left. She felt Logan pull his arm away from her as Magneto's influence released him. He still made his thoughts well known.

"Why that slimy stinking piece of crap! If I ever manage to get my claws on him..." His rant was interrupted by a snigger from the injured mutant. It sounded pained, but amused. Seeing their faces he shrugged lightly.

"You sound just like my one brother." They looked at each other and came to a soundless agreement as Jean and Scott reached them. They both pointed to the mutant to show he was hurt. Jean immediately went to him and reached out, but he flinched away.

"I need to check your wounds." They couldn't see his eyes and it unnerved them.

"No thanks. As I said before, just because I don't like him doesn't mean I'm willing to go with you." Logan rolled his eyes.

"There's four of us and only one of you. What exactly are you going to do even if we did want to hurt you?" They were surprised when he tensed.

"So you think I'm helpless against you four?" It was phrased more as a statement, but Logan still answered.

"Of course I do. There's only one of you and you're injured." Ororo had just reached out to stop Logan, but the words had already been spoken. It happened so fast she almost missed it. He leapt forward while crouched so that Logan's reactive punch flew straight over his head. He twisted his body and kicked out to a place around the stomach. As Logan went down he drew one of the swords that were strapped to his back and levelled it at Logan's throat.

"Still think I'm helpless?" The words were wheezed out slightly, but that didn't make them any less intimidating. Logan twitched on the ground before sitting up and answering, sounding pretty wheezy himself.

"Nope. Where the hell did you learn that?" Apparently the mutant felt that he had spoken with them enough and he started backing away from them. Seeing his intention, Storm sent look at Jean. She nodded slightly and used her ability to stop him from moving. They saw his eyes widen and he struggled against the mental bonds.

"What are you doing? Let me go!" They heard the slight panic in his voice and Jean approached him warily.

"Why are you so afraid of us? We only wish to help. You're hurt. We just want to help you heal then you can decide whether you want to stay or not." She watched him as he eyed her behind his mask.

"You said you work for a Professor." The words were blurted out quickly and he immediately clamped his mouth shut as if he hadn't meant to speak at all. Storm ran the words through her mind and tried to find the significance behind them. The others looked equally confused. Scott took a stab at trying to find what problem this mutant had with the Professor.

"Do you know Professor Xavier?" A mute shake of the head was his answer as well as a further tightening of the muscles. Storm noticed Jean glancing concernedly at the shoulder which had started to bleed more profusely. Realising they were thinking about this the wrong way she tried to put herself in the shoes of a giant walking and talking turtle. Suddenly things made a lot more sense. Seeing his resistance Jean released him and he staggered slightly before catching his balance.

"What's your name?" For a while she thought he wasn't going to answer, but...

"Leonardo, but you can call me Leo." She smiled before speaking again.

"Leo, how old are you?" The others seemed startled, but also realised that looks were often deceiving amongst mutants. Leonardo paused again for so long she thought she wouldn't get an answer, but then...

"I'm fourteen." They all stared in silence, but Scott broke the ice.

"Logan, you just had your butt handed to you by an injured teenager. One younger than Rogue." The smile on his face was perhaps uncalled for, but it was there all the same. At his words the others couldn't keep from sniggering. Storm was the only one who still remained tense. The situation was becoming clearer, but she didn't like the implications.

"Leo, why are you afraid of the Professor?" He turned his head towards her fully, disregarding the rest of them in favour of studying her carefully. She didn't know what he was searching for, but he must have found it. And still his covered eyes unnerved her.

"I've...met...a few Professor's, and they haven't exactly been very friendly." Storm nodded and the others frowned. Why on earth would a Professor hurt a child? Even if that child happened to be a mutant.

"What kind of Professors did you meet and what did they do?" They were beginning to realise that he was being cautious of what he told them. He was pausing to think of what he should and shouldn't say.

"Just the normal kinds. Scientists with lots of sharp pointy instruments and dissection tables." They all stared at him for a minute after the seemingly offhand comment. The only betrayal of his calm facade was the way his one fist clenched a few times as he spoke. He obviously wasn't as disinterested in the subject as he pretended to be. Jean moved forward to comfort him.

"Oh my...no, just no. The Professor we're referring to is a _teacher_. He wouldn't want to hurt you. None of us would." Physically he staggered back a few steps to get out of her reach, but he looked curious.

"A teacher?" Storm nodded enthusiastically.

"That's right. You remember I told you we're from a school. We just..." She was interrupted as his body slumped closer to the ground. She started to panic a bit as she realised he might have to pass out before he would allow them to help him.

"Listen, I know you don't know us, much less trust us, but please let us take care of your injuries!" She waited tensely for his response. He moved forward as if to accept and she smiled, before he seemed to shake himself. He stepped back from them quickly and she knew then he was going to run.

"Jean."

"I know." What happened next stunned them all completely. There was a loud war cry from above them and three figures leapt in between them and Leonardo.

"What're you doing to our brother?" They all stared in shock since the furious question came from someone who was undoubtedly Leonardo's brother. He was wearing the same type of face mask, but this one was red in colour. The other two were wearing orange and purple masks respectively. Oh, and they were all as much turtle as Leonardo. They were all trying to figure out what was going on. The Professor had sent them to get one mutant only, but here were three more standing right before them. How could he not have known about them? Why could he only sense one of them? First things first though, these new turtles looked about ready to rip them apart. Scott obviously felt it was time to intervene.

"Look, we haven't done anything to him. He was like this when we found him. We were trying to help." They noticed the one with the red mask wincing. Logan seemed to notice and he stepped forward.

"Perhaps we should be asking what you did to him." The other three turtles all flinched at this accusation. None of them took any notice of Leonardo until he quite suddenly spoke.

"Why did you come?" None of the other turtles looked at him, keeping their eyes on the x-men. The one wearing purple answered.

"Of course we came. What did you think we were gonna do Leo? Leave you to bleed out on the streets." The x-men could tell they weren't expecting the answer they received.

"Well yeah, that's exactly what I thought." The turtles turned collectively to see their brother pull himself upright. He then spoke his final words.

"I suppose it would be best if I don't burden any of you further with my presence." He stepped away from them all into the shadows and in an instant disappeared. The one wearing red stepped forward quickly.

"No Leo wait!" They were surprised when he stopped talking to his brother and started swearing fluently. He seemed certain that Leonardo was gone and a collective look at Logan confirmed it for them as well. Scott was the first to say what was on all their minds.

"He was very seriously injured, so how the hell did he do that and why didn't you stop him Jean?" She appeared stricken.

"I didn't want to hold on as it was making him afraid, but I realised what he was going to do too late." Logan threw his arms up in frustration.

"Just great! It took us this long to find him again and he just up and disappears!" Jean turned to him.

"That may be true, but his brothers are still here." Indeed they were, and Red was still swearing. Seeing his impressive range Logan had to wonder whether that one was older than Leonardo. He was certainly larger. Now that he stopped and actually looked the others all appeared to be slightly larger than Leonardo. He decided to voice his question.

"Are you older or younger than Leonardo?" Red stopped swearing long enough to answer him.

"What's it to ya?" Suddenly Logan realised what Leonardo had meant about him resembling one of his brothers.

"Nothing. I was just curious." Purple rolled his eyes and Orange answered.

"Like, we're all about the same age dude. Leo's the oldest, then him, him and then finally me!" he had pointed to Red then Purple. So Leonardo was the oldest. It seemed fitting somehow. He found it a bit odd that the oldest brother would be the smallest, but that was genetics for you. He definitely seemed more mature than these three, though Purple less so than the other two. Storm felt a headache brewing as she realised they were bickering too much to think about the wellbeing of the one who actually needed their concern. She watched as Logan and Red bickered back and forth. And it had been looking like _such_ a nice day...

**AHP: And there you have it folks. Don't forget to R&R!**


	4. Chapter 4: Multiple Perspectives

**AHP: **Hello all! *Dodges flying projectiles* Sorry the update took so long. Life has been hell to say the least. Since you're here to read the story and not to listen to my complaints I'll just go ahead without further ado!**  
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**Disclaimer: **I own nothing. T.T**  
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><p><strong>CHAPTER 4: Multiple Perspectives<strong>

Raph was about ready to attack something when they finally spotted Leo. To make matters worse he was surrounded by a bunch of humans. Knowing his younger brothers would follow he leapt into the fray, placing himself squarely between his brother and these strangers. He allowed his anger to shine through when he barked his question at them.

When the feral looking man had asked his counter question at their guilty looks Raph found himself inwardly cringing as he remembered what happened such a short time ago in the lair. He knew he had messed up, but he was gonna make it up to Leo if it was the last thing he did. It was with some shock that he heard the exchange between Leo and Don. Leo thought they were gonna leave him to bleed out on the streets? No...just no. When Leo started talking about his presence being a burden his brothers knew what he meant. Leo was going to leave, and he wasn't planning on coming back. Before any of those present could react he had stepped back and disappeared into the shadows. Even as he tried to stop him, Raph knew it was too late.

Realising they were back to square one he started swearing fluently to relieve his feelings. They were so close! They had found him, only to lose him again. Suspicion flooded his mind as that feral man asked him who was oldest. Surprisingly Mikey was the one to answer him, not seeing anything wrong with the question. Raph was understandably angry, and he decided to take his temper out on this stranger who had implied they were at fault when he knew nothing about them...even though he was right.

Donatello pinched the bridge of his snout in frustration as his immediate older brother carried on like a deranged five year old. He understood Raph's anger, but this was not the time! He could tell that some of the members of the other group were understandably exasperated as well. Seeing his opportunity when there was a break in the profanities he spoke quickly.

"As terrible as this was, I'm afraid we have to be going. We have an injured brother to find." He saw the visible effect his words had on Raph.

"Yeah. And if you know what's good for you, you'll stay away!" He saw the humans tense and the woman with red hair brought her hands up to her head. Don felt his movements forcefully stop and saw from his brothers reactions that the same had happened to them. Naturally Raph was the first to react.

"Hey! What the hell'd you do?!" Don and Mikey weren't far behind.

"Release us at once!"

"Dude, what's with the Jedi mind trick?" They saw the grim looks on the human's faces before the man wearing strange glasses answered.

"We saw what your brother did. We can't risk you three also disappearing." Don understood the reasoning, but it didn't make him feel any better.

"You would hold us here and prevent us from finding our brother who is seriously wounded? What kind of people are you?" The same man answered.

"You don't need to find him. We'll do it for you. Storm, Logan, can you two go? You found him twice already so..." As they left he realised what they said.

"Twice? Does that mean you are the reason he was locked in his room with injuries for three days?" His exclamation drew Raph back into his profane vocabulary. They were interrupted by the man again.

"No. From what I heard that was Magneto." Their reaction was simultaneous and identical.

"Who?" Sighing he took his time to explain who Magneto was and what had happened during the first chase.

"As I understand from Storms report Magneto used his ability to knock some rubble into him to stop him running. It caused him to have a nasty fall, but it didn't seem to affect him. Those few moments he was out of sight he disappeared." He could see Raph wasn't happy with the explanation, and Mikey even less, but he analysed what was said and compared it to Leo's state and had to grudgingly admit it made sense. Now if only he could figure out how that woman was keeping them from moving...

Mikey was slowly dying from a panic attack. He knew his brothers were both concerned about Leo, and Mikey knew terrible injuries when he saw them and it wasn't helping. His thoughts had been running on a one track rail. 'Find Leo...Help Leo...Find Leo...Help Leo... Find Leo...Help Leo...Find Leo...Help Leo... Find Leo...Help Leo...Find Leo...Help Leo... Find Leo...Help Leo...Find Leo...Help Leo...' Hearing the explanation for the injuries Leo had only made this mantra come faster. He glared at Don who had withdrawn into his full scientist mode to try and figure out what was keeping them stationary. Why couldn't he hurry up! He didn't bother glancing at Raph who had simply started swearing again.

For the first time in a long while Mikey looked at his brothers and realised they were all missing something vital that Leo always seemed to give them. Leo always had the plans, and he was always calm. Sure Donny had his whole mad scientist calm thing going for him, but when it came down to it that was only when he was fiddling with some techno-doohicky. He and Raph couldn't even pretend that they had any sort of calming behaviour.

Leo was the eldest for a reason. They couldn't say for sure or with any proof who was the oldest, but they had always known the order. It's just the way it was, and as a typical youngest sibling he idolised the eldest to the point of hero worship, even more so than their father. Leo always seemed to keep going. He was like a really small tank.

The first disillusionment he had was when Leo came flying through the window of April's apartment with the Shredder's return. It still hadn't killed the hero worship, especially after considering how long Leo kept fighting against that many foot, elites and Hun included. Even after he was chucked through the window he had still managed to help with the fighting. That was also the first time they all realised how lost they would be without him. It was the first time Mikey also realised their brother was mortal, and it scared him. Sure he could pretend that Leo was so awesome he could be torn into pieces and still find a way to come back, but he knew it wasn't like that. It was the one thing the Shredder had taught them.

Shrugging off his thoughts of the chrome-dome he set his mind to trying to figure out who these people were. He realised that they were observing him and his brothers in the same way he now studied them. It wasn't the creepy 'I wanna dissect you way'. It was more of a 'Who are these guys?' kind of look. It was as if they were just normal people to these people. Now that his curiosity had been roused he couldn't maintain silence for long.

"So who are you guys exactly?" He could see they were surprised at the question, but the dude with the really cool shades came forward slightly. And so while Raph tried to out-swear himself and Don fried his brains on the techno aspect, he would find out who their captors were...

Scott Summers prided himself on being a reasonable individual, but he was also well aware of where the limits to his patience were, and he was rapidly approaching that point. First they scare a potential new student into running away _successfully_, then they catch said individuals brothers who all appear to be mutants as well. Next he has to listen to Logan being out-sworn by a kid with one of the foulest vocabularies in existence, and now the youngest of the group is playing twenty questions with him.

He had already given their names, designations, spoken about the school and the Professor. Now the kid was just asking ridiculous questions like who made their outfits. It was as he felt the first spasm in his head that they were thankfully interrupted. He could have done with a different distraction though.

Ninja. It was a large group of around forty people all dressed as ninja. He watched wearily as one of them approached and spoke.

"Give us the turtles and we will allow you to leave." He raised an eyebrow. Well that didn't sound too promising.

"And what reason could you possibly have for wanting them?" He was firmly reminded about what the fist turtle...Leonardo...had said about people wanting to dissect them. That same ninja replied.

"Our reasons are our own. We will give you thirty seconds to comply. If you don't, we will be forced to consider you our enemies." At this juncture he heard the one in purple frantically whispering to Jean.

"You have to let us go! We need to be able to fight." Jean obviously felt the urgency of the situation and did as he asked. He saw them all ready their weapons in fighting stances, but he was concerned. They were hopelessly outnumbered. He just hoped their opponents wouldn't be too skilled...

Leo was feeling muscles he didn't even know he had. He hadn't gone too far, but he reminded himself about what he had learned of their tracking methods. He had dragged himself into a place that smelled awful, but at least they wouldn't be able to track him this way. Using the alleys and anywhere dark enough with a foul smelling dumpster he made his way back to where he had left his brothers. He wasn't planning on leaving them in that situation, but he had to shake his pursuers first.

Finally he got to an alley close enough and with great care and difficulty managed to hoist himself onto the closest fire escape near the top of a building that overlooked the area where he had last seen his brothers. He was comfortable knowing he had bought himself some time from those following him, and he was certain they wouldn't have expected him to double back.

He was surprised to see his brothers where he had left them, but he remembered that red-headed woman's ability to stop his movements. They were probably feeling the effects from that same ability. Feeling weary he kept his mind fully focussed and closed off. After all, if she could do that then there were probably other things they could do. He resigned himself to waiting as he realised they were doing the equivalent of chatting when he noticed a fast approaching presence. He quickly hid himself deeper in the shadows making full use of his ability to hide in plain sight. He watched as foot ninja surrounded his brothers and the strangers. He heard the foot address the man who he guessed was the leader of this group and watched as they released his brothers. He sighed in slight relief. At least his brothers could fight now, but if there were that many enemies down there, how many remained waiting in the shadows? They never attacked in full strength. Never. They used numbers to whittle down their opponents strength then went in for the kill.

He saw the ninja surge forward after the strangers...no...teachers...refused to hand over his brothers and he was shocked for a moment at the abilities these strangers displayed. The man was shooting what appeared to be lasers from his eyes and the woman was displaying what Mikey would probably call kick-ass telekinetic powers. He saw the problem immediately though. The man used those goggles to control his ability and he couldn't use too much power or he would collapse the buildings around them or hurt innocent bystanders. The woman could also apparently only focus on so many people at once. Fortunately his brothers hadn't frozen in their shock and were kicking some serious ass in their own regard and he breathed slightly easier. He would only jump in of things turned sour. Otherwise he wouldn't interfere. He doubted he could do much in his present condition, but not much for Leo was still quite a lot compared to other people.

The situation only seemed to improve as the two who were chasing him returned, obviously having given up on following him. As they neared the others they obviously saw the fight and they jumped in to assist their friends. He watched as the other woman...Ororo...proceeded to make mini tornados and strike with lightning, while the man, Logan, seemed to fight more like him and his brothers, only his style was a bit wilder. More like street fighting than ninjutsu, but it was still effective. Especially with his built-in switchblades.

Unfortunately, it seemed the foot had also brought reinforcements. They had Karai and their number seemed to triple. Realising the precarious situation which seemed to have reversed yet again he watched as Karai approached Raph from behind while his attention was elsewhere. He decided it was time for him to intervene. Fortunately it only took him one rebound and he hurtled towards his target. He folded himself so that his shell pointed towards the target and felt a jarring impact as he hit hard enough that he bounced up slightly. Using the momentum he unfolded his limbs and landed on his feet before drawing his swords. Karai groaned from the ground which she had made hard contact with. It had lacked his usual elegance, but at least it was still effective. He noted everyone's surprise, but he ignored it in favour of battling his way through to the centre of his brothers where they had scattered. He didn't waste any time and started issuing instructions.

"Guys, move in close. Tight formation. Use combinations. Limit the number that can approach us each individually by sticking close to the narrow part of the alley!" His brothers immediately drew closer, and he was surprised to see that instead of creating a circle with him, they seemed more inclined to make a circle _around_ him. He saw the other group of strangers approach them as well, and their 'leader' addressed him.

"Mind if we join you?" He nodded his acceptance, focussing the most of his attention on the enemies that managed to make it past his brothers. There were surprisingly few that managed since his brothers were fighting like demons trying to keep them away from their injured leader. He took a moment to observe the newcomers before issuing more instructions. Fortunately he recalled their names from their earlier interactions with both himself and his brothers.

"Ororo, stop using the lightning and focus on keeping tornadoes going on the outer edge of their ranks. Keep them confused and separate their group!" He watched long enough for her to nod her acceptance before continuing.

"Logan, join the circle for the close range enemies. Be careful to keep your distances equally measured. Leaving spaces leaves you vulnerable!" Again he waited for acknowledgment before he continued on, but Logan merely did as he was asked without breaking his routine of slashing at the foot ninja.

"Jean, you and Scott focus on attacking the mid-range and keep watch for any surprise attacks. They tend to use surprise attacks as often as they can get away with." He was instantly relieved when they didn't take offence to his ordering them around, but instead merely did as he instructed. With his instructions he watched as their two groups merged to form a single well functioning team. He watched where he could between fighting to see if any changes needed to be made to their strategy, but was satisfied for the moment. His only concern now was getting them away if the foot had anymore reinforcements waiting. That and he was truly feeling his injuries now. He wasn't really doing much fighting at all since the entire group seemed to have reached a consensus that they would try and keep the enemy away from him. He knew the sheer number of their enemy could very well defeat them no matter how well they were all fighting together. He looked around again and realised his fears had come to pass. The number of ninja surrounding them was positively overwhelming. At some point more reinforcements must have arrived.

Something else was bothering him though. The foot seemed to be more than a little focussed on getting to him with an intensity which he didn't understand. He understood the concept of attacking the weakest link in a group first, but not when that link was clustered tightly inside a group of strong links. He knew what that meant and decided that he would probably be facing a world of hurt by the end of this evening. Especially since Karai had finally managed to lift herself from where he canon-balled her earlier. Making his decision he split his attention between finding escape routes and battling his enemies. Seeing a few options he calculated the fastest route, keeping his injuries in mind. Once that was determined he focussed completely on the ninja that surrounded him. He quickly took out a syringe he had swiped from the medical supplies Don had brought with him and quickly injected himself with the pain-killer inside. He waited for the pain in his body to numb before he made his move.

What happened next would remain a shock to all and a blur to him. He waited for a gap in the surrounding ninja that led to his route and took off with a speed born from nerves and adrenaline. 'Come and get me...'

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><p><strong>AHP: Don't forget to let me know what you thought. Please do R&amp;R!<strong>


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